Iowa UP detour

[DowneasterPassenger]

Hi Forum, I am on EB #6 being held in Omaha. The announcements say that there is flooding in Iowa and track damage. Passengers bound for Iowa stops are being bustituted but CHI and Naperville passengers are being asked to stay on the train for a detour on UP.

Can anyone tell us anything about that detour route?

The question everyone is asking of course is "will I make my connection in Chicago?"

 

[guest]

Hi Forum, I am on EB #6 being held in Omaha. The announcements say that there is flooding in Iowa and track damage. Passengers bound for Iowa stops are being bustituted but CHI and Naperville passengers are being asked to stay on the train for a detour on UP.

Can anyone tell us anything about that detour route?

The question everyone is asking of course is "will I make my connection in Chicago?"

How did you end up in Iowa on the EB in the first place? Don't you mean CS?

The delay has made you a bit 'bonkers', eh?

 

[DowneasterPassenger]

EB #6 = east bound California Zephyr.

 

[Guest]

Hi Forum, I am on EB #6 being held in Omaha. The announcements say that there is flooding in Iowa and track damage. Passengers bound for Iowa stops are being bustituted but CHI and Naperville passengers are being asked to stay on the train for a detour on UP.

Can anyone tell us anything about that detour route?

The question everyone is asking of course is "will I make my connection in Chicago?"

How did you end up in Iowa on the EB in the first place? Don't you mean CS?

The delay has made you a bit 'bonkers', eh?

If he's on the CS boy are they lost! :lol: He means the CZ #6 which is stranded due to flooding in Iowa, according to trainorders its rained heavily in Iowa and it's still raining! :help:

 

[Jambo bound]

If on the Zephyr one crosses the Des Moines river at Ottumwa, the Iowa river enters the Mississippi north of Burlington so not a problem. The next mainline north serves Ames, Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids. I'm near Marshalltown so would nice for me.

Hope the delays don't ruin too much for you and your fellow travelers.

 

[Jambo Bound]

Iowa gov rail line map:

http://www.iowadot.gov/iowarail/railroads/maps/Base_09.pdf

What I'd like is a map that shows rails, rivers and towns.

 

[coachseats]

If you indeed detour over the UP, be sure to keep an eye out for when you cross the Des Moines River valley on the UP's new Kate Shelly Bridge, one of the highest double track railroad bridges in the United States. This is between Carroll and Ames, right before you get to Boone, about 1/2 way through Iowa. Other than that it is mostly nice rolling farmland, small towns, and a few nice old depots along the tracks at places like Carroll, Boone, and Ames.

 

[DowneasterPassenger]

Thanks for all the info folks!

Update: departed Omaha at 10:10am a little over 4 hours late.

Here's something unusual:

Conductor announced that they would open up the last coach car as a smoking car every 2 or 3 hours and advised non-smokers seated in that car to relocate.

I wonder what they will use for ashtrays.

 

[guest yechh!]

Thanks for all the info folks!

Update: departed Omaha at 10:10am a little over 4 hours late.

Here's something unusual:

Conductor announced that they would open up the last coach car as a smoking car every 2 or 3 hours and advised non-smokers seated in that car to relocate.

I wonder what they will use for ashtrays.

I wonder how long it will take before that car loses the scent of tobacco? I smell some vouchers coming up for innocent riders getting assignments in that "no smoking" coach for the next month or so!!!

 

[Guest]

Guess that means no-one except deboarding passengers will get off until CHI! I wouldnt want to ride in that coach either, the CHI yard cleaners do a poor job as it is, imagine the complaints when this coach is used on a No-Smoking trip!

 

[Jambo Bound]

Since this thread started because of flooding, here is yet another map, this time Iowa's river system.

http://www.iowadotmaps.com/msp/pdf/drainage.pdf

And a color coded map of rail ownership.

http://www.iaisrr.com/maps.htm

 

[oldtimer]

Hi Forum, I am on EB #6 being held in Omaha. The announcements say that there is flooding in Iowa and track damage. Passengers bound for Iowa stops are being bustituted but CHI and Naperville passengers are being asked to stay on the train for a detour on UP.

Can anyone tell us anything about that detour route?

The question everyone is asking of course is "will I make my connection in Chicago?"

How did you end up in Iowa on the EB in the first place? Don't you mean CS?

The delay has made you a bit 'bonkers', eh?

If he's on the CS boy are they lost!

He means the CZ #6 which is stranded due to flooding in Iowa, according to trainorders its rained heavily in Iowa and it's still raining!

I just returned from visiting family in south central Iowa. Some areas have had 11+ inches of rain since Sunday, the ground is saturated and all of the rain is running off very quickly and rain is forecast until the weekend. The south half of Iowa is under a flash flood warning until further notice. So those of you close to the UP in Iowa be prepared to see Amtrak.

 

[CNW]

Thanks for all the info folks!

Update: departed Omaha at 10:10am a little over 4 hours late.

Here's something unusual:

Conductor announced that they would open up the last coach car as a smoking car every 2 or 3 hours and advised non-smokers seated in that car to relocate.

I wonder what they will use for ashtrays.

My husband drove Greyhound for years and I can tell you a good number of pilots, engineers, drivers etc in the transportation industy smoke. Seems to come with the make up of those who choose this profession. But since this would be more for the benefit of passengers I wonder why they did it.

 

[Jambo Bound]

In 9 days I'm to board at Ottumwa for Chicago, if the rain continues or knocks out a bridge what am I in for?

 

[drew953]

In 9 days I'm to board at Ottumwa for Chicago, if the rain continues or knocks out a bridge what am I in for?

When the EB #6 gets to Omaha, all passengers with a destination between Creston IA and Princeton IL will detrain and load on to charter buses. The charter buses will then make all of the station stops the train normally would.

 

[Railrodeo_Kid]

Everyone knows that you can't smoke except on the ski-train. So don't try to tell us that a conductor allowed smoking on the train at Omaha. I don't believe it and don't want to hear it. I've heard of people getting thrown off the train and arrested for smoking so I can't understand how they would turn around and allow it.